Door lock mechanism



United States Patent() DOR LOCK MECHANISM John H. Roethel, Coral Gables,Fla.

Application September 23, 1957, Serial No. 685,736

Claims. (Cl. 292-280) This invention relates to a latch device andkeeper or striker device interlock construction and arrangementparticularly adapted for use on vehicle bodies.

More particularly the present invention is concerned with the provisionof an improved construction and arrangement of a cooperative latchdevice and keeper or striker device adapted to eiectively maintain avehicle door in latched condition relative to a vehicle body frame orpillar member. The structure embodying the present invention comprises alatch device pivotally mounted adjacent the outer face of a latchmechanism plate. The latch device shaft is journalled in suitable lixedbearing or bushing means rigidly secured to the plate. The latch deviceperforms the usual function of maintaining the door in latch condition,that is, against swinging movement from a closed to an open positionuntil the latch mechanism is released.

The embodiment of the invention herein illustrated provides againstlateral disengagement of the latch device from the keeper or strikerdevice. The conventional latch device coacting with a striker or keeperdevice is intended only to hold a vehicle door in closed or latchedcondition against swinging movement about the door hinges. However, suchdevices frequently fail to keep the vehicle door securely latched underabnormal conditions, such as when the vehicle is involved in a collisionor is upset. The modern `vehicle body is only a relatively rigidstructure. `Collision or upset impacts often cause body deformation andrelative movement between the vehicle body components and moreparticularly between the doors and door framing members. Such bodydeformation and resultant relative movement of the vehicle door andframing member or body pillar may cause the latch device to be pulledaway from the striker or keeper device in a direction longitudinally ofthe vehicle body permitting the vehicle door to fly open and the vehicleoccupants to be thrown from the vehicle even though the latch mechanismitself remains in latched condition.

it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple andinexpensive improvement in a cooperating latch device and striker orkeeper device which will effectively inhibit lateral movement, that is,movement in a direction longitudinally of a vehicle body, to a degreesufiicient to prevent the latch device and keeper or striker device frombecoming laterally disengaged. It will be understood that some degree oflateral movement must be permitted to occur since certain tolerances andclearances must be allowed in the litting together of the vehicle bodycomponents to compensate for manufacturing inaccuracies. The presentinvention permits normal manufacturing tolerances and clearances to bemaintained while at the same time making provision for limiting thepermissible lateral movement of the latch device and keeper or strikerdevice relative to one another so that the two cannot become abnormallydisengaged.

j Briefly, the object of the presentV invention is achieved by placing avertically extending strap member on the front face of the latchmechanism plate, The strap member is' open at the sides thereof. Thestriker or keeper device is in the form of a hook-like member, thelatter being secured to a mounting plate at therrear edge thereof andprojecting outwardly in such a manner as to be adapted to enter betweenthe strap member and the latch plate from the leading side of the strapmember as the door swings from an open to a closed position. The loweredge of the hook-like member is provided with tooth-like projectionsadapted to engage the latch device to retain the door in door latchedcondition. The'upper edge of the striker or keeper hook-like member isinclined from front to rear, the angle of inclination being relativelysmall. The inclined upper surface of the hooklike member is adapted tocooperate with a wedge member slidably mounted within the strap memberat the upper end thereof.

VWith the latch device in engagement' with the toothlike projections onthe underside of the hook-like member Vandthe wedge member in engagementwith the inclined upper `surface of the hook-like member, the free edgewall of the swinging door is held against vibratory movement in avertical direction. At the same time, the hooklike member, having beeninterposed between the strap and the latch plate, is elective to preventsuch relative movement of the latch device and keeper or striker deviceas could cause the two to become abnormally disengaged.

Further objects, advantages and features of the present inventionk Willbe apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in part sectional taken substantially through line 1-1of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating thecooperative relationship between the latch device and striker or keeperdevice, as exemplified by the illustrated embodiment of the presentinvention, when the latch device is in door latched position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken substantially through line 2 2 of Fig.1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken substantially through line 3-3 of Fig.1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a :sectional view taken substantiallyv through line 4-4 ofFig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Before explaining in detail the present invention, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyemployed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In the drawing there is illustrated, by way of example, a particularembodiment of the present invention as applied to the door and doorframe structures of an automobile body. The embodiment of the inventionas illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive,comprises a latch device,generally designated 10, and a striker or keeper device, generallydesignated 11. The latch device 10 is exemplied as a gear type or rotarybolt 12 having a number of radially projecting tooth-like projections12a, such as six, which are spaced equally around the periphery of thebolt. The latch bolt 12 is pivotally or rotatably mounted on a latchplate 13 by means of a pivot shaft 14 which is journalled in a suitablefixed bushing or bearing means 15. Preferably, the bushing or bearingmeans is provided with a flange 16 adapted to act as a spacer betweenthe latch plate 13 and the rotary bolt 12.

It will be understood that the end portion 17 of the pivot shaft 14,which is shown broken off, normally carries a ratchet member (notshown). The ratchet member cooperates with the other elements of thelatch Amechanism whereby the latch bolt 12 may be held against rotationin door unlatching direction or may be released so as to be freelyrotatable in doorv unlatching direction.' The operative mechanism of thelatch mechanism forms no particular part of the present invention andthe foregoing brief statement is deemed suicient for an understanding ofthe present invention.

Referring again to the drawing and more particularly to Fig. 2, it willbe noted that the latch plate 13 has attached to its front face 18 achannel shaped member 19 hereinafter more particularly referred to as astrap. The strap 19 is provided with a vertically extending main plateportion 20 and upper and lower horizontally extending leg portions 21and 22 respectively. The leg portions space the strap plate portion 20outwardly of the outer face of the bolt 12. Each leg portion is providedwith a tab portion 23 which extends through a complementarily shapedslot in the plate 13. The portion of each tab 23 projecting beyond theinner face 24 of the plate 13 is suitably riveted or staked over therebysecuring the strap 19 on the latch plate 13.

The underside of the upper horizontal leg 21 provides in part a slidewayfor a make-up wedge 25. The wedge 2S may be made of pressed metalcontaining a suitable lubricant or may be made of a suitable plasticcomposition material. In preferred practice the plastic is nylon. Thewedge 25 is slidably supported beneath the upper horizontal leg portion21 and between the front face 18 of the latch plate 13 and inner face 26of the strap plate portion 20 by a guide rod 27 which extends throughthe wedge 25. The guide rod Z7 has its ends 28 and 29 anchored in endwall sections 30 which may be formed by turning end extensions of theupper leg portion 21 downwardly at a right angle thereto. To resilientlyurge the wedge 25 outwardly, or to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, alongits guide rod, a coiled spring 31 is provided. The spring 31 surroundsthe inner end of the guide rod 27. One end of the spring 31 abuts theinner face of adjacent end wall 30 and the other end of the spring lieswithin a recess or counterbore 32 in the wedge 25. The function of thewedge 25 will be hereinafter explained.

The striker or keeper device 11 embodying the present inventioncomprises a plate member 33 of substantially square shape adapted to besecured to a vehicle body pillar 34' by suitable bolts 35. As best seenin Fig. 3, a sectional view of the striker or keeper device 11 takensubstantially through the center thereof shows it to be U-shaped inappearance. This results from the fact that the striker or keeper deviceis provided with a horizontally extending hook-like or finger-likemember 36 which is spaced from the main plate portion by a rib 37, thehook-like member 36 being connected to the plate 33 by the rib 37 at therear or inner edge 38' thereof.

The hook-like member is somewhat narrower vertically than the plate 33.At its lower edge 39 the hooklike member is provided with a pair ofdownwardly depending tooth-like projections 40 and 41. The toothlikeprojections 40 and 41 are adapted to coact with the tooth-likeprojections 12a on the latch bolt 12, as will be more fully explained.The upper surface 42 of the hooklike member is upwardly inclined fromits rounded leading edge 43 toward the rear, as best seen in Fig. l.Thus, the upper portion of the hook-like member is in effect a rampwhich is adapted to slidably receive the wedge 25 as `,vill be morefully explained.

It will be noted that the latch plate 13, which may be of any suitablesize or shape, is adapted to be secured by suitable bolts 44 to the edgewall 45 of a vehicle door. The edge wall 45 is provided with a suitableaperture 46 through which the strap covered latch bolt 12 is adapted toproject, as best seen in Figs. 2 to 4, inelusive.

In operation, when the vehicle door is in an unlatched or opencondition, the latch device 10 is in a position in which it isdisassociated from the striker or keeper device 11. As the door is swungto a closed position, the rotary bolt 12 irst engages the striker orkeeper tooth 40. If, for any reason, the closing movement of the door isinterrupted at this point, the door will be held by the tooth 40 againstmovement in an opening direction until the latching mechanism isreleased. The tooth 40 is known as the safety latching tooth. When thebolt 1-2 is in engagement with the safety latching tooth 40 the Vehicledoor is not held against vibratory movement in an up and down direction.

As the bolt 12 moves past the safety locking tooth 40, the lower surfaceof the wedge 25 engages the ramp portion or upper surface 42 of thestriker or keeper member 36. The initial point of engagement may varydepending on the alignment of the latch device 10 with the keeper orstriker 11. As soon as a suitable locking position of the wedge 25 onthe ramp surface 42 is reached, the Wedge movement in a closingdirection ceases although the vehicle door may continue to move in aclosing direction for a slight distance further until the latch bolt 12is in operative engagement with the striker or keeper tooth 41, thistooth being known as the nal latching tooth. The relative movementbetween the wedge 25 and the latch plate 13 results in the spring 31being placed under compresison. The effect of the compressed spring 31is to continually urge the wedge 25 up the ramp surface 42 thus ensuringthat the striker or keeper member 36 is tightly engaged between thewedge 25 and the rotary bolt 12. This tight engagement effectivelydiminishes any possibility of movement of the door in an up and downdirection due to vibrations occurring while the vehicle is in motion.

In nal locking position the hook-like member 36 of the striker or keeper11 completely projects through the strap 19 from the edge 38 to theopposite edge thereof. Thus, the present invention provides a highlydesirable safety interlock between the strap member 19 secured to thelatch plate 13 and the striker or keeper device 11. Any force tending toseparate the door from the body pillar in a direction parallel to theaxis of rotation of the latch bolt 12 will be resisted by theinterengagement of the hook-like member 36 with the strap member 19.Except for the limited lateral movement permitted by the lateralclearance between the striker or keeper device member 36 and the strapmember 19, the latch bolt 12 cannot move suiciently sideways to permitit to become laterally disengaged from the striker or keeper device 11.The only way the latch bolt 12 may be released from engagement with thestriker or keeper device is by normal operation of the latch mechanismto permit free rotation of the bolt 12.

I claim:

l. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edgewall of a swinging door, said latch device having tooth-like projectionsthereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framingmember, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate portionand a spaced portion substantially paralleling said plate portion, saidspaced portion being provided with depending tooth-like projectionsforming tooth spaces to receive said latch device tooth-likeprojections, a strap means, means mounting said strap means on said freeedge wall of the door, said strap means having a plate portion, saidstrap means plate portion being adapted when said latch devicetooth-like projections are received within said tooth spaces to be ininterposed position between said keeper device plate portion and itssaid spaced portion, a wedge means, means slidably mounting said wedgemeans within said strap means, said wedge means being adapted to engagethe upper surface of said spaced portion when the latter is in saidinterposed position, said spaced portion and strap means plate portioncoacting to prevent such lateral displacement of said projectionsrelative to one another as would cause said projections to becomedisengaged, and said wedge means being effective to prevent up and downvibratory movement of said projections relative to one another.

2. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edgewall of a swinging door, said latch device having tooth-like projectionsthereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framingmember, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate and agenerally horizontally extending spaced portion secured to said mountingplate at one side thereof, said portion being provided with dependingtooth-like projections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch-devicetooth-like projections, a strap member having a vertically extendingplate portion and upper and lower angularly related leg portions, meanssecuring said leg portions to the free edge wall of the door, said plateportion being spaced outwardly of said latch device and said upper legportion being spaced substantially thereabove, said strap member plateportion being adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections arereceived within said tooth spaces to be in an interposed positionbetween said mounting plate and said spaced portion, a wedge means,means slidably mounting said wedge means within said strap member, saidwedge means being adapted to engage the upper surface of said spacedportion when the latter is in said interposed position, said spacedportion and strap member plate portion coacting to prevent such lateraldisplacement of said projections relative to one another as would causesaid projections to become disengaged, and said wedge means beingeffective to prevent up and down vibratory movement of said projectionsrelative to one another.

3. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edgewall of a swinging door, said latch device having tooth-like projectionsthereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framingmember, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate and agenerally horizontally extending spaced portion secured to said mountingplate at one side thereof, said portion being provided with dependingtoothlike projections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch-devicetooth-like projections, a strap member having a vertically extendingplate portion and upper and lower angularly related leg portions, meanssecuring said leg portions to the free edge wall of the door, said plateportion being spaced outwardly of said latch device and said upper legportion being spaced substantially thereabove, said strap member plateportion being adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections arereceived within said tooth spaces to be in an interposed positionbetween said mounting plate and said spaced portion, a wedge means,means slidably mounting said wedge means within said strap memberbeneath said upper leg portion, said upper surface of said spacedportion being upwardly inclined to provide a ramp engageable by saidwedge means as the vehicle door is moved from an open to a closedposition, said spaced portion and strap member plate portion coacting inclosed position of the door to prevent such lateral displacement of saidprojections relative to one another as would cause said projections tobecome disengaged, and said wedge means being effective to prevent upand down vibratory movement of said projections relative to one another.

4. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edgewall of a swinging door, said latch device having tooth-like projectionsthereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a door framingmember, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plate portionand a spaced portion substantially paralleling said mounting plateportion, said spaced portion being provided with depending tooth-likeprojections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch device tooth-likeprojections, a wedge means, a wedge means supporting member mounted onsaid free edge Wall of the door, said wedge means supporting memberhaving a leg portion in vertical spaced relationship to said latchdevice and having a depending plate portion substantially parallelingsaid free edge wall of the door and spaced outwardly therefrom, meansmounting said wedge means in slidable relation to the latch device sideof said leg portion, said wedge means supporting member plate portionbeing adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections are receivedwithin said tooth spaces to be in interposed position between saidkeeper device plate portion and its said spaced portion, said wedgemeans being adapted to engage the upper surface of said spaced portionwhen the latter is in said interposed position, said spaced portion andwedge means supporting member plate portion coacting to prevent suchlateral displacement of said projections relative to one another aswould cause said projections to become disengaged, and said wedge meansbeing effective to prevent up and down vibratory movement of saidprojections relative to one another.

5. In combination, a rotatable latch device mounted on the free edgewall of a swinging door, said latch` device having tooth-likeprojections thereon, a keeper device mounted on the jamb face of a doorframing member, said keeper device being provided with a mounting plateportion and a spaced portion substantially paralleling said mountingplate portion, said spaced portion being provided with dependingtooth-like projections forming tooth spaces to receive said latch devicetoothlike projections, said spaced portion being provided with anupwardly inclined surface on the side opposite the depending tooth-likeprojections, a supporting member mounted on the free edge wall of thedoor, said supporting member having a leg portion in vertical spacedrelationship to said latch device and having a depending plate portionsubstantially paralleling said free edge wall of the door and spacedoutwardly therefrom, an inclined surface engaging member, and meansmovably mounting said inclined surface engaging member beneath the latchdevice side of said leg portion, said supporting member plate portionbeing adapted when said latch device tooth-like projections are receivedwithin said tooth spaces to be interposed between said keeper devicemounting plate portion and its spaced portion, said inclined surfaceengaging member being in engagement with the inclined surface of saidspaced portion when the latter is in said interposed relationship, themeans mounting said inclined surface engaging member including aresilient member effective to urge said inclined surface engaging memberinto tight engagement with the inclined surface of said spaced portionthereby to resist up and down vibratory movement of said projectionsrelative to one another, said spaced portion and supporting member`plate portion coacting to prevent such lateral movement of saidprojections relative to one another as would cause said projections tobecome disengaged.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

